A BCIN designer is a licensed professional in the architectural field who is qualified to produce and approve certain building plans for construction in Ontario, Canada.
What does BCIN mean?
BCIN stands for Building Code Identification Number, which is a unique ID number assigned for each qualified architectural designer or some other practitioners providing building code related services in Ontario, Canada. It’s obtained when they pass specific tests on the Ontario Building Code and register with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
All registered practitioners are listed in the QuARTS Public Search Registry.
BCIN is enforced in Ontario by Bill 124 as a requirement from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs & Housing. Its purpose is to protect the public and uphold safe building standards within the construction industry.
The Bill 124 legislation requires:
Mandatory insurance requirements for all designers
Testing for all designers, inspectors, and registered code agencies
Set timeframes for building permit processing for inspectors
Rules regarding permit applications
Enforcement of building code criteria by officials and inspectors
What are the limitations of a BCIN designer?
Most designers start with the General Legal exam and the House or Small Buildings exam. The House exam licenses them to create residential home designs or small auxiliary structures like garages and decks, while the Small Buildings exam qualifies them for home designs and small commercial projects.
There are also qualifications for large and complex buildings, septic design, and plumbing design that allow designers to plan septic systems, tenant fit-ups, or commercial renovations with certain restrictions.
What are the limitations of a BCIN designer?
Some more complex and un-conventional designs require sign off from an architect or engineer, such as mechanical or engineering additions, e.g. septic planning, trusses, or heating systems. But for the most part, BCIN designers are licensed to independently produce a wide range of project plans.
Here in Quick Permits, we have both BCIN designers and engineers, so you never need to compromise on your projects and can get as creative as you wish!
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